“What’s the matter?” exclaimed Prince Andréy standing still in his excitement. “Don’t you understand that either we are officers serving our Tsar and our country, rejoicing in the successes and grieving at the misfortunes of our common cause, or we are merely lackeys who care nothing for their master’s business. Quarante mille hommes massacrés et l’armée de nos alliés détruite, et vous trouvez là le mot pour rire ,” 19 he said, as if strengthening his views by this French sentence. “ C’est bien pour un garçon de rien comme cet individu dont vous avez fait un ami, mais pas pour vous, pas pour vous. 20 Only a hobbledehoy could amuse himself in this way,” he added in Russian⁠—but pronouncing the word with a French accent⁠—having noticed that Zherkóv could still hear him.

He waited a moment to see whether the cornet would answer, but he turned and went out of the corridor.